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1934 Alice in Jails: Streets/Linking Chapter: Misperceptions and Information
Synopsis In a certain New York café, Gustav St. Germain informs Hilton he has provided her with "all the information up to that point in time," and asks if she still wishes to hear the rest. He will not press her to hear the truth, though he is sure she must have noticed by now that a betrayal took place. Before he relates the rest of the incident, which includes Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent's reunion, he decides to confirm a number of truths first. Specifically one truth—and here he again reminds Hilton that he warned her from the start she must be prepared to learn information she would prefer not knowing—with regard to what happened behind the scenes in Alcatraz. The fact that he is able to tell her any of this should alone be a sign that a traitor in Alcatraz existed to convey the information to him. The night before Chicago's serial bombings take place, Firo Prochainezo stands over Huey Laforet's body while Huey's left eyeball squirms his left hand. Ladd Russo, having personally watched Firo stab Huey and gouge out his eyeball, wants answers: first, he wants to know if Firo has been friends with "these Felix fellas" since entering Alcatraz. Firo shakes his head, replying that he only agreed to cooperate with them around ten to fifteen minutes ago. Before the Sham guard had led Firo to Huey's cell, he had stopped on the stairs and made a personal request: if Firo could gouge out one of Huey's eyes on his behalf. He offers to confess who in Alcatraz was hired on the outside as a hitman, and effectively admits that he 'might' be selling Huey out. When Firo asks what he is, Sham identifies himself as an 'information network'—which, if Firo has Szilard Quates's knowledge, should need no explaining. Introducing himself as Sham, he asks Firo become a Felix Walken in exchange for the safety of Ennis and the ordinary citizens who live in the Martillo Family's territory. Back in the present, Firo broods over how he gave into Sham's threats so easily and wonders what he would have done had Sham demanded he inflict harm on his friends; even if he would not have stabbed his friends in the back, he cannot say the same for the Szilard in his memories. Ladd is still in want of an explanation Firo is at a loss to give, so Dragon offers to explain—and Gig says they twisted Firo's arm and asked for his aid. The small white man offers to "reintroduce himself"; Ladd dismisses him, but freezes when the man compliments Lua Klein's beauty. Firo guesses that Lua is Ladd's sweetheart, and is irritated upon realizing Sham is cornering Ladd with the same tactics he used on Firo. Sham claims that he is capable of killing Lua right this second, a statement that throws Ladd for an angry, uncertain loop. The guard who first had the rifle joins the white man, Dragon, and Gig in speaking at the same time, their voices uniform: they say that "The Former Felix Walken" is one of their names, but from a broader perspective they—he—are known as Sham. As the guard lying outside the door joins in, making a fifth voice, Sham gives Ladd a multi-salute and says it is a pleasure. Gustav leaves Alcatraz' story there, with assurances that he will return to the Alcatraz situation later on along with the end of the Chicago affair. At Hilton's silence, he asks her if she is unwell—and if he should call her Miss Leeza instead. From her expression he deduces that she suspected Sham was the traitor but did not want to believe it, and reminds her that there is no guarantee all Huey's creations will be loyal to him—Rail is evidence enough. Gustav theorizes that, for Rail, rebelling against their creator was the only way to win their freedom. Perhaps the gloom within them drove them mad, and that madness drove them to carry out those serial bombings. At Carol's look of concern, he clarifies that he is praising Rail in a certain fashion—for Rail having managed to gain some semblance of control over their world. While he will likely only learn Rail's fate from the President of the Daily Days, he hopes it is a happy one. For now, Gustav warns Hilton that whatever she chooses to do next will already be too late, as the incident is already over. She indicates that she wants to hear the rest of the tale, and so he agrees to tell "the tale of the man and woman who upset all calculations, torn from each other and then reunited." He invites Hilton to decide for herself whether the outcome the couple precipitated was or was not coincidence, and ponders where he should begin: with the arrival of the train in Chicago; the details of the serial bombings and disappearances, as based on testimonies from those involved; the tale of the joker left behind in New York; or perhaps the story of the poor lovers destined to be separated once more. He cuts himself off there, admitting that the last one might be "skipping a bit too much," but insists that it ultimately makes no difference where he begins. With that, he begins a different tale entirely: the tale of a young woman in New York, unaware of the tragedy which has befallen her father. Trivia * This chapter is the bookend to Epilogue II. * The "poor lovers" Gustav speaks of are likely Huey and Monica Campanella. Category:Light Novel Chapters